Multiple section hair clip

ABSTRACT

A hair sectioning clip for quickly and easily inserting/removing multiple sections of hair during a cut, color or styling process. The lower jaw and upper jaw are manipulated into an open and shut position by a set of finger grip structures. The secondary jaw is manipulated into an open and shut position only by the force of sliding hair sections in between and out from the space between the upward curved tip and upper jaw. The upward curved tip allows the user to easily insert and remove multiple sections of hair quickly without the use of a second hand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to hair clips, and more specifically, to ahair clip for anchoring multiple sections of hair.

2. Description of the Related Art

Both professional hair stylists and do-it-yourselfers at home use anumber of tools and accessories. Traditional hair clips are used toseparate and/or position a section of hair. Hair clips may be used onwet or dry hair during a number of different tasks such as hair cutting,hair coloring, drying hair, hair styling, and applying hair extensions.Hair clips may also be used as a tool to sculpt hair or to keep hair offof a person's face while applying makeup.

Hair clips are well known and come in a few common types. One type ofhip clip includes jaws pushed together by the force of a spring. Thistype of clip requires two hands to operate, one to hold open the jaw bycompressing a set of finger grip structures, and another to insert asection of hair into the jaw. Multiple hair clips need to be used toseparate and/or secure multiple sections of hair.

Another type of hair clip is similar to the 1^(st) type, but with asecond jaw above the 1^(st) set of jaws with a second upper finger gripstructure to push open the second set of jaws. The second set of jawshold a second section of hair. This type of clip still requires the userto use one hand to push on a second set of finger grip structures toopen the jaws and another hand to insert the hair section.

It is desirable to provide a hair clip that avoids the foregoingdisadvantages of known hair clips. It is to these ends the presentinvention is directed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides for a quick and simplifiedway of sectioning hair during a cut, color or styling process. Thepresent invention saves user time in manually opening and closing a hairclip by compressing a set of finger grip structures each time an newsection of hair is removed and inserted. The upward curved tip on thesecondary body allows the user to insert, remove and restrain multiplesections of hair without the use of a second hand.

A hair clip includes a lower body with a lower jaw, a lower joint, and alower finger grip. An upper body includes an upper jaw, a first upperjoint, a second upper joint, and an upper finger grip, where the firstupper joint is rotatably coupled to the lower joint. A secondary bodyincludes a secondary jaw, a secondary joint and an upward curved tip,where the secondary joint is rotatably coupled to the second upperjoint. A primary spring couples to the lower body and the upper body,where the primary spring is configured to push the upper jaw towards thelower jaw. A secondary spring couples to the upper body and thesecondary body, where the secondary spring is configured to push thesecondary jaw towards the upper jaw. An upward curved tip which allowsthe secondary jaw and upper jaw to move into an open and shut positionby the force of sliding a section of hair in between the opening betweenthe upward curved tip and the upper jaw.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become more fullyunderstood upon further review of the following specifications andaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the inventionwill be more apparent from the following more particular descriptionthereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a hair clip in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded assembly view of the hair clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a lower body of the hair clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates an upper body of the hair clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates a secondary body of the hair clip of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A hair clip will now be described. In the following exemplarydescription numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea more thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. It willbe apparent, however, to an artisan of ordinary skill that the presentinvention may be practiced without incorporating all aspects of thespecific details described herein. In other instances, specificfeatures, quantities, or measurements well known to those of ordinaryskill in the art have not been described in detail so as not to obscurethe invention. Readers should note that although examples of theinvention are set forth herein, the claims, and the full scope of anyequivalents, are what define the true scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a hair clip in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. Some exemplary embodiments of a hair clip include alower body, an upper body, and a secondary body. The lower body ismovably coupled to the upper body and the upper body is movably coupledto the secondary body.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded assembly view of a hair clip inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The explodedview includes a lower jaw 104, a primary spring 107, a primary pin 109,an upper jaw 204, a secondary spring 207, a secondary pin 209, and asecondary jaw 304. The lower jaw 104 is movably coupled to the upper jaw204 by a primary spring 107 and primary pin 109 and the upper jaw 204 ismoveably coupled to the secondary jaw 304 by a secondary spring 207 andsecondary pin 209.

FIG. 3 illustrates a lower body of a hair clip in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The lower body includes a lower jaw104, a lower joint 106, and a lower finger grip 102. In some exemplaryembodiments of a hair clip, the lower body has a long and thin planarshape. The lower body may comprise of any sturdy construction materialsuch as metal, plastic, or fiberglass. The lower body may be eithersubstantially straight or curved. The lower jaw 104 forms one end of thelower body and the lower finger grip 102 forms the opposite end of thelower body. The lower joint 106 is typically positioned above a lowerbody surface near an intersection of the lower finger grip 102 and thelower jaw 104. The lower jaw 104 may include teeth or protrusions 108 onone side of an otherwise smooth surface.

FIG. 4 illustrates an upper body of a hair clip in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The upper body includes an upperjaw 204, a first upper joint 205, a second upper joint 206, and an upperfinger grip 202. In some exemplary embodiments of a hair clip, the upperbody has a long and thin planar shape that substantially matches thelower body in size. The upper body may comprise of any sturdyconstruction material such as metal, plastic, or fiberglass. The lowerbody may be either substantially straight or curved and in someembodiments, may match the upper body in shape. The upper jaw 204 formsone end of the upper body and the upper finger grip 202 forms theopposite end of the upper body. The first upper joint 205 is typicallypositioned below an upper body surface near an intersection of the upperfinger grip 202 and the upper jaw 204. The second upper joint 206 istypically positioned opposite the first upper joint 205. The upper jaw204 may include teeth like protrusions 208 on one side of an otherwisesmooth surface.

The first upper joint 205 is movably coupled to the lower joint 106. Insome embodiments, the movable coupling of the first upper joint 205 andthe lower joint 106 may be a rotational coupling allowing the lower bodyto rotate relative to the upper body about an axis of rotation at theupper joint 205 and the lower joint 106. Rotating the lower bodyrelative to the upper body allows the lower jaw 104 to move towards oraway from the upper jaw 204 and thus allowing the lower jaw 104 and theupper jaw 204 to open and shut. A primary pin 109 and primary spring 107couples to the upper body and the lower body and is used to rotationallycompress the lower jaw 104 and the upper jaw 204 towards each other intoa shut position.

A user may compress the lower finger grip 102 towards the upper fingergrip 202 to pry the lower jaw 104 away from the upper jaw 204 in to anopen position. While holding the lower finger grip 102 and upper fingergrip 202 compressed with a single hand, the user may then insert theupper jaw 204 and the lower jaw 104 into a head of hair to separate asection of hair between the upper jaw 204 and the lower jaw 104. Thelower jaw 104 and the upper jaw 204 will return to the shut positionwhen the user ceases to compress the lower finger grip 102 towards theupper finger grip 202.

FIG. 5 illustrates a secondary body of a hair clip in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. A secondary body includes asecondary jaw 304, a secondary joint 306 and an upward curved tip 309.The secondary body may comprise of any sturdy construction material suchas metal, plastic, or fiberglass.

The secondary joint 306 is movably coupled to the second upper joint206. In some embodiments, the movable coupling of the secondary joint306 and the second upper joint 206 may be a rotational coupling allowingthe secondary body to rotate relative to the upper body about an axis ofrotation at the secondary joint 306 and the second upper joint 206.Rotating the secondary body relative to the upper body allows thesecondary jaw 304 to move towards or away from the upper jaw 204 andthus allowing the secondary jaw 304 and the upper jaw 204 to open andshut. A secondary pin 209 and secondary spring 207 couples to the upperbody and the secondary body and is used to rotationally compress thesecondary jaw 304 and the upper jaw 204 towards each other into a shutposition.

The secondary body includes an upward curved tip 309. The upward curvedtip 309 of the secondary jaw 304 allows the user to slide multiplesections of hair into and out from the opening in between the upwardcurved tip 309 and upper jaw 204 forcing the secondary jaw 304 to openand close.

While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means ofspecific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modificationsand variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hair clip comprising: a lower body with a lowerjaw, a lower joint, and a lower finger grip; an upper body with an upperjaw, a first upper joint, a second upper joint, and an upper fingergrip, wherein said first upper joint is coupled to said lower joint, andwherein a primary spring force is configured to push said upper jawtowards said lower jaw; and a secondary body with a secondary jaw, asecondary joint, a secondary spring, and an upward curved tip whereinsaid secondary joint is coupled to said second upper joint, and whereina secondary spring force is configured to push said secondary jawtowards said upper jaw.
 2. The hair clip of claim 1, wherein saidsecondary jaw and upper jaw move away from each other in an openedposition only by the force of an object forced through the openingbetween the upward curved tip and upper jaw.